Panelbeater’s costly lie

Smash repairer fined $10,000 for denials over worker’s injury

A SMASH repair company has been convicted and fined $10,000 for falsely claiming to never have employed a worker who injured himself on his first day on the job.

Smash Masters Geelong was convicted and fined $10,000 when a Geelong magistrate last month found it guilty of providing misleading information orally and in writing to WorkSafe, a WorkSafe agent and an investigation company.

Worksafe began investigating the company, which also has a Laverton workshop, after a male employee fractured his right shoulder on his first day on the job.

The Laverton employee lodged a claim with a WorkSafe agent and provided supporting documentation.

When presented with the forms the employer refused to complete the compensation documents and said the employee was not known to them, had never worked at the business, never entered the premises and had never been injured on site.

WorkSafe officers started a circumstance investigation and a private investigator interviewed the chief executive officer of the company and five other employees who all either denied knowing the employee or said they could not remember the employee and could not comment.

The investigators initially denied the worker’s claim, but the employee then provided WorkSafe with phone records showing calls between the employee and the offender on the day before and the day of the incident.

WorkSafe reviewed its decision and further investigations showed a company credit card belonging to its director had been used to pay for the victim to a take a return trip to Wer- ribee Mercy Hospital.

The employee’s workers’ compensation claim was reinstated.

Smash Masters was convicted on October 10 on charges of providing misleading information orally and in writing to WorkSafe, a WorkSafe agent and an investigation company, namely that it had no knowledge of the injured worker.